Remixes, as a whole sub-genre

[minxy]

I think I can state pretty assuredly that all of us are familiar with the idea of derivative fiction since it's more or less the definition of what we do in fandom as we write fanfiction (spin off from source canon we are commonly familiar with.) Some of us use fanfiction to expand canon, creating team adventures that can trigger the high praise of 'I can see this happening on an episode!', for example, and some of us use the medium to explore aspects of our canon that the show is unlikely to delve into; reprocussions, maybe, or romantic relationships (or really smutty non-romantic relationships.)

Effectively, though, we're all already playing in someone else's sandbox; a remix is taking it all a step further. If you have, for example, a story about one of the team losing their memory and all their companions and triggers, but maintaining the essential character of who they are, this is a remix of visual medium into written, a team story into an individual one. To invite further remixing is to allow another author to play with POV, medium, structure or tone, but yet another step past canon, so maybe the POV will be switched to an original character introduced fleetingly in the story, maybe the setting will be changed from effectively present tense to someone telling a story about the past, perhaps using that character's voice will speak to the canon show character in some new and interesting way that builds and changes and transforms. It's not as automatically a shift in structure as switching mediums requires, but changing the structure of a piece of written work is a incredibly effective tool to change the emotional effect on the reader.


I have recommended all of these stories to you guys before, but I'm going to talk about them now in the context of remixing, and how they work together.

"Creak" and "The Sangata"

This is one of the sets of stories I have had in mind all along as I've written the introduction to and explanation of remixing. In one of those demonstrations of how fandom turns back on itself, supporting and inspiring and building, Nanda (nandamai) wrote a gorgeous Sam story for Lyssie in the samficathon called Creak. Creak is amazing for it's use of sound and sense to build Sam's observational skills in a vacuum, as she rationalizes and intuits her way out of drugged memory loss and into freedom with the help of a small team of fellow captives. Katie M took the premise of this story and one of the team of captives and built a lifetime and a personality for her, letting the structure become poetic and the tense switch in a natural progression from changing the POV. Nanda's story is Sam in the moment, Katie's is The Sangata, Book 1 (The Ramayana Remix) the rememberances of a talented bard memorializing the bid for freedom. If Nanda's story is a situation where your character is stripped of information until all she has is instinct and her own nature, then Katie's adds an outside point of view and the sense of how events have outward ripple effects in the bigger scheme. The effect of both stories taken together is both intimate and epic, and it's done with an economy of words. The remix was written for the multifandom remix_redux.

Other story pairs that do this particularly well:

"Pale Battalions" and "None But Ourselves"

cofax7's None But Ourselves (the Redemption Song remix), a remix of beatrix_otter's tealc_ficathon piece Pale Battalions. Pale Battalions is Teal'c backstory and None But Ourselves is current time, using multiple points of view and snippets of written history to tell the story of the moments in between. Both hold to a brilliant common ground of showing a story building around Teal'c, no mean feat considering how integral it is to his character to speak only when required.

"Mirage" and "Grand Illusion"

For an example of a relationship story that gains from remixing to the other half of the pair's POV: Grand Illusion, by ivorygates, a remix of surrealphantast's Mirage, not worksafe. Slash with a side order of jealousy, but each character seems stronger from the other's viewpoint. Jack/Cameron (not Sam). This one is a classic switch of POV to the one other main character's in the story, and both stories are told very effectively in past perfect, tight POV, just to show that you don't have to get fancy with structure.

"Rounded With a Sleep" and "Under the Ice and Dreaming"

Unless you choose to do so. synecdochic used stream of consciousness effectively (and experimentally) in a heartbreaking remix of paian's incredible Rounded With a Sleep.(R rated, slash). The Under The Ice And Dreaming Remix. PG-13 for slash and language and suggestion.

It's probably worth noting that a remix is not cowriting, nor is it sequeling. To my mind, neither of those processes can be done particularly well without significant cooperation between the authors to unify the vision of the story. Remixing is covering a song, bringing a new beat, a different sound or a distinct point of view to it; co-writing is improvising together on the same stage at the same time.


Co-writing and Sequeling

To demonstrate, Synecdochic and Ivory Gates frequently collaborate writing (sometimes epic) stories based in SG-1 (The Mezzanine series and Cammie-Verse come to mind, along with the Alternate Abydos AU. They're prolific.) They work together well enough that it can be difficult to tell who wrote which aspects of the story unless one or the other of them writes a standalone story within the universe and says so. They have even occasionally remixed each other (I believe the first story in Mezzanine chronologically is a remix of Synedochic's opening story in her Broken Wings universe, for example.) One thing they have always made clear with a sort of jubilant self-mockery is how much talking they do about these universes before they sit down and write them.

This is sequeling: Attention followed by Attuned. The first is Syne, the second is Ivory. This is Cameron with Daniel, it's slash, it's NC-17 (really seriously NC-17.) Note in the authors notes now they document some of the conversation that went on before agreeing to write the stories.

A concealed author remix exchange does not allow room for that kind of interaction between authors, therefore introducing story points that do not logically and organically arise from the original story may or may not be within the scope or vision of the story, and you can't confirm with the author one way or another. So you could tell the story of a background character, perhaps in the future, if they're reflecting on the events of the original story, and call it a remix. You couldn't invent the lovechild of a couple in an angsty story to let the kid tell you how they worked through it and lived happily ever after; not and call it a remix, anyway. You know, for example.


The Critical Remix

In fact, a remix can walk an interesting critical line; you aren't working *together*, though by explicit agreement in the ficathon, you are promising to respect the work of the original author while still bringing something new to the game. One story I've seen that uses the format of a remix to respectfully criticize the original work is helenish's Take Clothes Off As Directed in a BDSM Atlantis universe. It's a remix of this compulsively readable AU by xanthelj called The General and Dr. Sheppard. The original story establishes (well, I might add) a universe where domination and submission are the norm; very interesting ideas and reflections on Atlantis characters result. Helenish took the premises of that 'verse and swapped some of the roles to create a situation that echoes gender inequality and homophobia in the military in really brilliant ways. If the first story was novel for the building of a society with different social mores, the second brings up fascinating questions about whether in a society with sexual inequality, willing or otherwise, cultural inequality must perforce follow (intentional or otherwise.) I believe that the questions and the dialog are very well done, I think there is a great deal of respect inherent in the fannish dialog this represents.

But, for the record, that set of stories was spontaneously done, it was not for an organized remix and wouldn't have been appropriate, I don't think, just because of the edgey amounts of criticism implicit. A fic exchange is a different beast.

The situation might arise, though, where the original story is, perhaps, not as brilliant as
Nanda's or Surrealis's or Beatrice Otter's or Paian's. What then, eh? Grace under pressure (as much as possible) is what, but isn't it always? A pair of stories that are even stronger or more interesting when taken as a whole is a potential particular to the remix format, I think, but there's nothing to say that remixing a plot or situation in your own style or idiom won't create a remarkable story in it's own right. The gift of borrowing another storyline or theme to play with might jump-start a recalcitrant muse, and the restrictions of the challenge might nudge you out of your comfort zone and help you write something really unique, who can predict this things?

There is also the remarkable perspective that comes from seeing what another author chooses to do with one of your stories as well, but like any fic exchange, you really have little control over that (except your own reaction, of course.) Myself, I think it is a fascinating glimpse into seeing what another author would have liked to know more of, what catches their fancy and which part of what story they decide to live in for a while. There is an eerie kind of deja vu about the process, though, it's so cool.


In which I talk about my remixes (the ones that I wrote):

"Bedside Manners" and "Bedside Vigil"

My first remix experience I was paired in the multifandom Remix Redux with an author who hadn't written more than a handful of stories in SG-1 and years ago, at that. She later told me that the story I'd chosen was one of her first and written when she was 13 and she was stunned to see what had been done with the idea. Reader, I had *no other fandoms* in common with her, there were few stories I could choose from, and they were all very short; ultimately, though, it was enough to find something interesting in a ficlet and run with it. I would say this pair of stories is unlikely to make a 'best of the remix' list, but the fannish dialog was respectful and interesting. And it was the first time I wrote Janet, so that was fun. If you want to see an author's commentary on that, I got way into detail here.

Nevertheless, I didn't participate in the multifandom remix again, largely because I am so monofannish with my writing (occasional crossovers with SGA notwithstanding.)

"East of Eden" and "All the Infections that the Sun Sucks Up"

By contrast, my experience with the gateverse_remix last year was a romp; I was assigned Dirty Diana to remix, and bounced about in gleeful plenty deciding which story to work with. Diana, like me, is a multi-shipper, so I could have gone with a number of different pairings, but decided to play with East of Eden pretty quickly because her summary line is 'there is only one story in the world'; how can you pass up that opportunity? What resulted from last years remix from me was All the Infections that the Sun Sucks Up, a back of the envelope character remix of a slash story based out of a canon AU (Absolute Power). I suspect the fun I had living in that universe, thinking about the original story and writing Sam and John reacting to darkside!Daniel and breaking!Jack, and Diana's grace and enthusiasm for the effort are the primary reasons I took over the Gateverse remix this year. It was a really fun experience.


All of this is directly related to the sophomore year of the gateverse_remix, of course; I'm moderating the challenge this year and hoping people will give it a shot. Sign-ups are open, will be until May 26th, and are screened. So I can tell you that I've a dozen or so authors already (omgYAY!) and, wonder of wonders, a list of half a dozen back-up writers, should I need them. I hope this will be a good exchange, and that you'll consider playing even if you have done the remix thing before.